The Iron Queen
by oualesbian
Summary: Persephone could never quite regret eating the pomegranate; it was dark and dreary in this kingdom, but well. It was her kingdom, and that made all of the difference. (Or, The Iron Queen and her Consorts. And a couple flings. You know how it goes.) AKA I wasn't satisfied with leaving my poem "darling, dreadful" as, well. Just a poem. So here's the prose.
1. sweet and tart

_darling, dreadful persephone_  
 _queen of the underworld,_  
 _goddess of rebirth:_  
 _she resides both over the dead_  
 _the living._

Persephone could never quite regret eating the pomegranate; it was dark and dreary in this kingdom, but well. It was _her_ kingdom, and that made all of the difference. Of course, she missed the golden sunlight, but she still had the garden her husband had given to her as a gift, and she would never, never miss the way her mother used to smother her. Hades would never do that to her; after all, her husband understood, in a way no one else ever could, the way it felt to have someone constantly cheating you out of greatness. She bit into a pomegranate and smiled down at some unfortunate soul (Orpheus, was it?) as the juice dribbled down her chin. Sweet and tart, just the way she liked it. She stared the man down some more just to watch him squirm, concocting some ridiculously complicated trial he would never complete. She couldn't have her favorite companion stolen from her, after all. Eurydice was so very lovely, and she smelled like spring. _Felt_ like it too. A sly smile spread across her face, and out of the corner of her eye, she could see her husband trying to cover up a grin. She could see right through it of course; after all, he was her husband. That certainly counted for something. Persephone glanced back at the harpist, and her smirk grew all the wider. Oh, this was going to be _fun._


	2. bitter, sharp and hot

hey guys, whoops, im back and it's been... barely a couple hours, i think, but i could be wrong. i know no one's really read it yet but, i just wanted to explain; i've decided that instead of posting one chapter for one segment of the poem im gonna do several chapters per segment. im really excited about this so... here goes! oh, and this chapter is really just persephone's thoughts.

* * *

Persephone breathes in the fresh air and clenches her teeth because, the thing is— you see, it's just. She already misses it. Terribly. She misses the heavy, damp air, she misses her _garden_ and Cerberus and Hades, and oh, she misses Eurydice, who has finally begun to warm up to their kingdom, to _her_ , and— it's like this: Hades understands her more than most people, except Eurydice, because nobody else was taken away from everything they knew so suddenly, and of course she loves it there now, _it's her kingdom_ , but still some days she can't help but grieve her childhood. And Hades understands that, he does, and he'd never try to get in between the two of them, which—he's just, so, so great and she _loves him so much_ and— her mother is staring at her with a sly, awful look, as if she knows, as if she takes great enjoyment in Persephone's pain, and in this moment, Persephone _hates_ her mother. It rushes up in her like a sudden tide, and she tastes bile, bitter, sharp and hot in her throat, and she wants to scream. But instead, she clamps her mouth shut and smiles, flat, joyless. Six more months.


	3. the siren's call

It happens when a great lord of some kingdom or other has come down to the underworld to beg for his son's life. They won't give him back, of course; they'll listen to him anyways, maybe even play with him if they're in the mood, but the dead are the dead, and that's the end of it. The man is babbling on and on about gold and riches as if they don't have all they could want, and Eurydice watches as Persephone yawns loudly and Hades hides a chuckle with a slight cough, when suddenly an ear shattering, haunting wail comes echoing down one of the many tunnels. Persephone freezes, not even breathing, and her fingernails dig into her palms. Hades stills, face contorting. "Leave," he says to the lord, eyes never leaving his wife. Eurydice is standing in confusion, the entire court silent and still as a windless desert, as they watch their queen and king. Strangely, Hades does not go to his wife; he seems to be holding himself back, and Eurydice does not understand why he does not embrace the queen, as she herself longs to. Suddenly making up her mind to, Eurydice moves forward but before she can take half a step, Hades glances at her and shakes his head without saying a word. Eurydice stops, but for several seconds considers disobeying him and going to Persephone, whose eyes are closed as if against some great pain. She decides against it only because she knows Hades loves his wife dearly, and would never willingly hurt her. So Eurydice waits, and time stretches out, strange and shifting, the way it is only in places like this. Places where hours are minutes and minutes are hours. She waits in dead silence until finally, finally the wailing stops and Persephone slumps in her throne. Hades and Eurydice immediately rush to her and Hades scoops her up and holds her close against his chest, so tenderly that Eurydice looks away, blinking. "You did great," he says warmly, and it _should_ surprise Eurydice, but she's seen the way he looks at Persephone; it's the same way _she_ looks at her, and that should worry her, should worry both of them, really, but it doesn't. It feels entirely too natural to love Persephone. Hades begins to walk towards his and Persephone's chambers and Eurydice hangs back, unsure, but Hades glances over his shoulder and nods at her, eyes gleaming with amusement, and that. That _does_ surprise her, just a little.


End file.
